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BT Media & Broadcast extends Global Media Network to South Africa
BT Media & Broadcast, a world leader in digital media solutions, today announced it has extended the reach of its Global Media Network (GMN) to South Africa. The network extension enables the delivery of high quality, real time video content between Johannesburg and popular media hubs worldwide, offering a viable, high performance and cost effective alternative to satellite connectivity into and out of the region.
The GMN, with coverage in more than 70 locations across ten countries worldwide, is based on multi-protocol label switching ("MPLS") networking technology, the proven global standard to supply secure converged video, sound and data internetworking. Its fully redundant architecture delivers optimal availability to television and production distributors and supports the media industry's transition from video tape to file transfer, enabling the transfer of large capacity files between servers.
BT Media & Broadcast has extensive expertise in the media and broadcasting industry. It has assembled and delivered the very latest global, digital network and media applications and services for managing and distributing today's media content worldwide. This includes global workflow solutions and professional services to help customers realise quick profitable revenue on their content investment.
Mark Wilson Dunn, Global Sales and Marketing Director, BT Media & Broadcast, said: "BT's strategy is to extend our media services to wherever our clients need them and as such we have selected South Africa as a key market for our continuing network expansion plans. We are aggressively and successfully pursuing opportunities in the Middle East and Africa and are extremely well positioned to benefit both BT and its customers by managing the import and export of content on a reliable network infrastructure."
Brian Armstrong, Vice President, Middle East and Africa, BT, said: "Growth in the local South African media market has significantly accelerated following the allocation of four new pay TV licenses. GMN's South Africa extension will allow those licensees efficient access to the entire global ecosystem of content, and will facilitate alternative revenue models such as IPTV, Mobile TV and HD cost effectively. GMN's high speed and global reach will also help the local post production market win more international contracts."
ENDS
About BT Media & Broadcast
BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to our customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.
In the year ended 31 March 2008, BT Group's revenue was £20,704 million with profit before taxation and specific items of £2,506 million.
British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.
For more information, visit www.bt.com/aboutbt
For further information about BT
Enquiries about this news release can be made to the BT Group Newsroom on its 24-hour number: 020
7356 5369. From outside the UK dial + 44 20 7356 5369. All news releases can be accessed at our web site: http://www.bt.com/newscentre
Justine Manche, BT Global Services PR, Tel: 020 7356 5371 or email: justine.manche@bt.com
David de Koning , Fishburn Hedges, Tel: 020 7544 3043 or email: david.dekoning@fishburn-hedges.co.uk
